Reporters love controversy. It’s the kind of thing that gets front page attention. Michael Moore’s entire film career is based on Controversy Marketing. Every time he opens his mouth, every time he creates a new movie, someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get mad, and someone is going to come out swinging.

That’s what gets the media’s attention. You know the old saying, ‘If you’re not stepping on someone’s toes it’s because your not doing anything.’? It’s absolutely true.

This is an issue I run into all the time as a copy writer. Business people are so afraid of turning off any customers that they say absolutely nothing in their marketing. Yet, it’s that lame ‘nothing-speak’ that turns people off so much that they can easily ignore your websites, brochures, billboards, radio ads, etc.

Bush won with Controversy Marketing

Bush didn’t win his first presidential election by playing nice. He intentionally ran a ‘you’re either with us, or against us’ campaign. He polarized the nation and then managed to turn just enough people against Kerry to either get them to vote for Bush or just stay home on election day. He didn’t win the election. He just made sure Kerry lost.

The definition of great marketing

Great marketing isn’t about trying to get everyone in the world to love and use your product or service. It is about finding the people who will love your product or service and giving them a reason to buy, use, and be loyal to your brand.

Controversy Marketing doesn’t require you to dance naked at a toga party or use inflammatory words or kiss Madonna. What it does require of you is to have an opinion and state it. Or do something extraordinary.

The Richard Branson way

The Virgin empire was built on controversy marketing. Richard Branson is the modern day poster child for controversy marketing. Everything he has built has been on the back of attention-getting media ploys. Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that he’s a brilliant businessman.

And remember, controversy doesn’t have to mean bad attention. It just means get attention. Stimulate the imagination. Do something.

Five things you can do to get attention

Here’s a list of things you can do to get real, positive attention:

• commission a public work of art
• hire a local artist to paint a mural on the side of your building
• hire a vocal groupto perform a stunning concert under your company banner in the middle of town or at a local mall (or on top of your building – ala The Beatles – get permits)
• work with local churches to re-hab a building to create housing for welfare families or the homeless
• organize a competition of some kind. A bicycle race through town, a slalom competition at a local ski resort, a 10k for breast cancer research, a spelling bee, a robot war between local high schools (great attention getter and great stimulus for science and technology interest with kids)

Originally posted 2007-09-08 08:56:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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